Reviewed research article Removing the ice cap of Öræfajökull central volcano, SE-Iceland: Mapping and interpretation of bedrock topography, ice volumes, subglacial troughs and implications for hazards assessments Eyjólfur Magnússon1,2, Finnur Pálsson2, Helgi Björnsson2 and Snævarr Guðmundsson2 1Nordic Volcanological Center, Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland 2Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Askja, Sturlugata 7, IS-101 Reykjavík, Iceland Corresponding author:
[email protected] This paper has been modified based on the erratum published in Jökull 64, 2014. Abstract – The ice covered active Öræfajökull central volcano forms a mountain range extending south from the central Vatnajökull ice cap, SE-Iceland. The high elevation span (7–2110 m a.s.l.) and extreme precipitation of this coastal part of Vatnajökull results in large mass turnover and high dynamic activity. Here we present bedrock and surface digital elevation models (DEMs) of Öræfajökull ice cap and its many outlets. The bedrock DEM is derived from radio echo sounding profiles and point measurements carried out in 1991–2012, and the surface from airborne LiDAR surveys in 2010–2011. At the centre of Öræfajökull is a ∼14 km2 caldera containing 4.3 km3 of ice, reaching ice thickness of 540 m. Most of the caldera drains meltwater eastwards to Kvíá river while the rest drains mainly westwards to Virkisá river. The caldera floor of Öræfajökull is smooth and volcanic mounds and ridges appear almost absent. An exception is a small topographic mound, beneath ∼400 m of ice, near the water divides between Kvíá and Virkisá. The bedrock topography also suggests a separate caldera collapse, ∼6 km2 and ∼150 m deep, within the main caldera.